Recent progress in genomics and other technologies along with the rising importance of age-related diseases have opened an opportunity to revolutionize health and the practice of medicine. For example, the costs of genomic sequencing have decreased by more than four orders of magnitude over the last fifteen years. The same shotgun sequencing techniques Venter, et al. developed to revolutionize human whole-genome sequencing are now also being used to define and explore the microbiome. Sometimes called our “second genome,” the microbiome is composed of the trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in and on our body, all with their own genetic material interacting with our own human cells to support health and cause or be associated with disease. Combining human whole-genome sequencing and microbiome characterization with recent progress in measuring metabolomics, the small molecules and chemicals that result from protein synthesis and other basic physiologic functions will provide new opportunities in medical diagnosis, early detection, and prevention.
Similarly dramatic advancements are being made in clinical imaging, and combining imaging with genomics is likely to become increasingly important in medical practice. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) avoids harmful radiation and now image resolution has improved to the point that contrast is no longer required for highly sophisticated imaging of the brain and entire body.
To make use of all these data there needs to be an affordable place to securely store, access and analyze. Fortunately, the availability and decreased costs of cloud computing has made it possible to securely store and analyze genomics and phenotype metadata as integrated health records at scale previously unattainable.